Hand tool



Jun e 20, 1944. J. v. LARSON HAND TOOL Filed April 6, 1942 INVENTOR. JOHN v. LARSON.

ATTORNEY A rigid jaw I5 is cast or otherwise shaped from any suitable material to provide a depending body plate |-6 (Figure 4) having a groove |1 provided transversely therethrough to serve as a guide for the movable jaw as will appear more fully hereinafter. Above groove I1 there is provided a shoulder l8 proximate to the jaw Hi to serve as a base for an integral stud |9 that projects therefrom. The lower end of the jaw plate I6 is provided with a longitudinally extending nib serving as a finger manipulating projection as will appear morefully hereinafter.

A companion jaw plate 2| (Figure 11) is shaped to serve as a complement of the jaw plate l6 and its shoulder |8 for assembly therewith. To this end, the confronting jaw plates |62|' are provided on the aligned aperturesor bores 22-23 which are adapted to receive thetrunnions |3-|4 while another aperture in the body plate 2| is positioned and sized to receive the stud I9 to enable their rigid assembled association by spinning or swaging the projecting extremities of the trunnions |3-|4 and stud l9 after all of the parts have been assembled therebetween. It should be noted that the body plate 2| also is providedwith a longitudinally extending nib 26 that confronts the nib 20 on the body plate iii to afford finger manipulation of the jaw l5 for presetting and removal relative to a nut or other instrumentality that is to be turned therewith.

A movable jaw 21 is shaped to correspond with and to oppositely confront the relatively stationary jaw l5. To this end, the movable jaw 21 has a transverse shank 28 inwardly offset from the jaw 21 which is appreciably thicker than the guide shank 28 thereof. This presents oppositely extending shoulders 29 at the juncture of the jaw 21 with the guide shank 23 to ride along the 42 provided in the jaw plate spaced top edges 30-3| of the jaw plates l6 and 2|', respectively. As shown,-the jaw shank 28 is provided with a pluralityof rack teeth 32, in this instance, three, that are complementary to and mesh with the progressive gear attached on the handle l0 when the jaws I 5-21 are in operative assembled relation to effect their relative sliding displacement responsive to pivoting the handle 10., 7 1 In order to guide the movable jaw 21' relative to the stationary jaw IS, the jaw shank 28 is provided with an elongated ridge or shoulder33 extending for the length thereof to serve as a complement to the groove H in the jaw plate l6. With the movablejaw 21 in movable operative relation withthe-stationary jaw l5 the plate 2| is disposed thereoverwith the handle I0 andits progressive gear-end l in meshing engagement with the rack 32 of the jawshank 28., 'Thereupon the projecting end of the-stud I9 is spun or swaged to overlap the body plate 2|- to maintain the parts in assemb1ed1:relation.. Corresponding spinningorswaging of the projecting portion of the pivot trunnion l4 tosecurely maintain the cooperating jaws |5- 21 and their cover'plate |6-2| in assembled association. Thereupom a spiral spring 34 having a'radially extending inward extremity 35 andgja hooked outer extremity 36 is; enveloped around the pivot trunnion correspondingly shapedrecess 31 formed in the exterior surface of the'jaw plate IS in concentric relation with the aperture or bore 22 therethrough. 1 h

The radialinward extremity 35 of the spring is projected througha somewhatlarger aperture 38 provided radiallyin the pivot trunnion l3 l3 for lodgement in a (Figure 3). .The'hooked extremity 36 of the the tension in the spring spiral spring 34 engages a lateral projection 39 stamped or otherwise shaped from the material of a disc 40 that is sized to overlap the concentric recess 31 which receives the spring 34. To this end, the disc 40 is provided with an axial aperture 4| that receives the trunnion |3 therethrough for assembled association of the disc 40 over the spring 34 and its recess 31 for contact with the external surface of the jaw plate l6 (Figure 5). With the disc 40 positioned to impart the desired tension in the spring 34, the lateral projection 39 not only serves to engage the hooked spring extremity 36, but also is then lodged in an aperture l6 within the limits (Figure 4). This serves the desired position with 34 maintained so that the jaws |521 will be urged to normally approach each other to their maximum limit without any nut or other member disposed therebetween.

With the arrangement of the parts above described, the projecting end of the trunnion I3 is then spun or swaged to overlap the disc 43 and thus maintain the parts in rigid assembly with the cover plates |6-2| in rigid connection through the medium of the spun or swaged trunnions |3--|4 and stud l9. and method of assembly eliminates the necessity of forged parts that require expensive dies and reduces the machine finishing operations to a minimum. Heretofore the jaw l5 with its confronting cover plates |5-2| were forged or otherwise shaped from a single piece of material of the spring recess 31 to retain the disc 43 in so that a very dimcult and comparatively expensive milling operation-was necessary to provide the grooves therethrough for receiving the moveable jaw 21 and its transverse guide shank 28. Additionally, weaknesses developed in the region of the gear-end l of the handle 0 owing to the weakened construction that was heretofore occasioned by the pivot receiving aperture heretofore provided therethrough.

It will be observed that with the attendant grasping the handle Hi, the forefinger or thumb is available to engage the longitudinally projecting nibs 20-26 on the cover plates |6--2| to cause the jaws |5-21 to recede from each other for convenient application to a nut or other fastening expedient or to efiect the release thereof from engagement after handle It has been withdrawn. Y A novel construction and method of assembly has been provided that improves the capacity and substan tially decreases the expense of production. 1 I

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of this invention, it must be understood that the invention is capable of con siderable variation and. modification without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. I,'therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to'avail myself of such come within the I claimi 1. A hand'tool comprising a variations and modifications f as scope of the appended claims.

plates mounted on said pivots to swing relative to said handle member, complemental means bemovable jaw opposedv to' said fixed jaw and slid-.- "1 ably disposed between said confronting jaw plates,-

This construction the turning effort on the handle member, oppositely projecting jaw pivots extendingfromone end of said handle member, confronting'jaw inter-engaging gear teeth on said handle member and movable jaw to efiect relative jaw displacement responsive to imparting movement to said handle member relative to said jaws, spring means enveloping one of said jawpivots, an apertured disc cooperating with said last named pivot to encase said spring means against an adjacent jaw plate, and a depending nib on said disc to anchor one end of said spring means, the other end of said spring means being anchored to said last named pivot, there being an aperture in one of said jaw plates to receive said disc nib to anchor said disc and engaging spring extremity against displacement and to maintain a redetermined tension in said spring means.

2. A hand tool comprising a handle member, oppositely projecting jaw pivots formed integral with one end of said handle member, confronting jaw plates mounted on said pivots to swing relative to said handle member, a stud cast integral with one of said jaw plates to project through the other of said jaw plates to'efiect their connection by being peened thereover, said stud being spaced from said handle pivots to cooperate therewith in maintaining said jaw plates in assembled connection with said handle, complemental means between said jaw plates and said handle member for maintaining said confronting J'aw plates in rigid spaced relation, a fixed jaw on said plates, a movable jaw opposed to said fixed jaw and slidably disposed between said confronting jaw plates, said handle pivots being peened to overlap said jaw plates to establish a pivotal retaining connection therebetween, inter-engaging gear teeth on said handle member and movable jaw to efiect relative jaw displacement responsive to imparting movement to said handle member relative to said jaws, and spring means interposed between one of said jaw plates and adjacent handle pivot to normally urge said jaws toward each other.

3. A hand tool comprising a handle member, oppositely projecting jaw pivots formed integral with one end of said handle member, confronting jaw plates mounted on said pivots to swing relative to said handle member, complemental means between said jaw plates and said handle member for maintaining said confronting jaw plates in rigid spaced relation, a fixed jaw on said plates, a movable jaw opposed to said fixed jaw and slidably disposed between said confronting jaw plates, said handle pivots being peened to overlap said jaw plates to establish a pivotal retaining connection therebetween, inter-engaging gear teeth on said handle member and movable'jaw to effect relative jaw displacement responsive to imparting movement to said handle member relative to said jaws, spring means enveloping one of said jaw pivots, an apertured disc cooperating with said last named pivot to conceal said spring means, and 2. depending nib on said disc to anchor one end of said spring means, the other end of said spring means being anchored to said last named pivot, there being an aperture in oneof said jaw plates to receive said disc nib to anchor said disc and engaging spring extremity against displacement and to apply a predetermined tension to said spring means.

J'OHN V. LARSON. 

